Target has started clearancing the bulk items at most stores. You might have spotted the section with these products- they have cleaning items, oral care products, clothing, diapers and more in larger packages.
At my store these are marked down 15% and they are spread all over the place. The stores will need to make room for outdoor items so you might find products still in the seasonal section or you might find various products on the clearance end caps of that department (like diapers in the baby section etc..)
In my experience there can be some good deals but I would encourage you to really pay attention to what you are paying per unit.
I purchased a few more Champion Dry Fit tops for working out- they were priced at $5.24 on clearance and selling fast. I thought that was a good deal. I think the baby food and formula that gets marked down can be an exceptional deal as well.
But on the other hand, I also noticed Pampers wipes marked down to $11.46 for the large boxes. At first I thought it was a great deal and then I noticed it was 576 ct boxes. So just this week I posted 720 Pampers wipes for $11.51 from Amazon and shipping was free. The 576ct box at Target is like paying $1.43 for a tub of wipes which is an OK price but not really that great.
I also noticed 140 ct boxes of Huggies Snug and Dry diapers for $30.58. That works out to .218 per diaper which is like paying $6.51 for a Jumbo pack. Again that is not a very good price. If you have coupons (there is a $1.50/1 in 1/23 SS and a $2.50/1 Target coupon)- the price would drop to $26.58. That still works out to $.19 per diaper or about $5.88 per jumbo pack.
Amazon regularly has the Snug and Dry for .16 a diaper and shipping is free. The exact same box of diapers is $22.34 shipped right to you.
So I know for me, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of clearance sales and I have to really take a step back and pay careful attention to whether or not a deal is really a good deal.
I think once these items get marked down a bit more or if you happen to have some fantastic coupons, the deals are much better! So be sure to keep an eye out at your store and hopefully you spot some great deals!
Great advice Charlene! I recently went to check out the “clearance” at a local grocery store that’s closing. It was ridiculous. They marked everything WAY up and then were clearancing it at 10% so they were making TONS of money. I didn’t fall for it but the lines were outrageous and unfortunately my mother-in-law did it too. We all need a reminder to really pay attention and think through our prices carefully in the hype of the red tag.
This post is exactly why I love your blog. Even though you write about a lot of stores that I don’t have near me, I love how you go the extra mile to encourage us and teach us in our “frugal adventures”. This post hits it dead on….clearance isn’t always a good deal! And I love how you point out specifics, like the diapers and wipes not necessarily being a good deal, but the work out tops are. Thank you, thank you!!!
Thanks for posting this, especially about the pampers and wipes!! I just went to Target today and my store also has them for 15%, which I thought was OK but as you said, not that great. I am waiting to see if they get marked down to 30%, because I doubt they will last to be marked down to 50%! In your opinion would 30% be a good deal? Then again some people may think 15% is a great deal and they may not last.
Thanks!
Yeah, thank you Charlene! I totally get caught up in the idea that something is on clearance… Just the other night I took my son to Bel Air to buy stuff from the bulk bins… I was thinking in general those are inexpensive but one of the things we got were pretty much just generic M&M’s and I totally got ripped off… They were like $9 a pound! I didn’t get much but I would’ve been better off just buying the package of M&M’s!
Oh well I don’t want to come off as condescending or like a smarty pants but I think stores play games with us sometimes. For me, the little red clearance tags are an emotional trigger and I get excited and am ready to buy. I have to force myself to step back and really make sure it is indeed a good deal.
@Lori- let’s see. The regular price on the diapers is $35.99. So 30% off would be $25.19 and then take off $4 for your coupons- so $21.19. You know that is a good price at .15 each. Honestly though if I can get them from Amazon for $23.51 I don’t know how enticing that is really. Maybe if you are already planning a trip but my taxes are .0825% so it makes it such a nominal difference.
And you are totally right- people see 15% off and snatch stuff up fast so I guess it just depends on what you think is a good deal 😉
My target in Sac. on alta arden was 30% already and they are usually later than Charlene’s so be sure to keep checking. The clothes did seem to be a good deal, but the socks and undies didn’t.
I got like 6 real cute pair of valentines day socks for 1.25 also in the clearance section. Some swim trunks were under 5 bucks as well.
Kim, funny I huffed away from the underwear 😛 I was looking for my toddler and I saw they had Hanes Low Rise underwear for little girls and then I started getting riled up 😀 My 3 year old does not need low rise anything thank you very much Target.
Charlene, sorry to laugh, but hahaha about the underwear. =) I wasn’t too happy about some of the swimsuits last season for toddlers, because they looked just like some of the stuff adult women would wear.
I checked the bulk prices at Sam’s club compared to the bulk clearance prices at target and most things were still cheaper at Sam’s club. If the items go 50%then target would be cheaper.
I saw the diapers as well and Safeway actually has the 140 ct boxes for $25.
Yep – guess I got sucked into it too! 🙂 Atleast I had some really high dollar coupons..(and my clerk gave me an extra $1 off – because there was a coupon on the box ) so I had an extra $5.50 taken off of my bill. I’ve never tried the amazon deal – even though I’ve seen you post it many times. Am going to do that from now on though!! Thanks!
Target in Lincoln had a pack of 5 Kraft Mac N Cheese for $3.35 with a coupon on the side stating if you purchased the 5 pack you get a free 4pk of easy mac which at my store is $3.66. They also had a 22pk of assorted Quaker Oatmeal for a little over $3 which I thought was a good deal after you use the coupons.
I went to Target yesterday and almost fell for the clearance too. I put back the twin pack of body wash chanting, “I don’t need it, I don’t need it”. Plus, I know I can get it cheaper at drugstores. I did get Kotex pantyliners that were marked down to 1.01 and I had a $1 off coupon. That fed the clearance monster.
Just FYI, my target had $2.50 off Champion apparel coupon attached to ‘Tide Febreeze Sport’ laundry detergent.
I found packages of 6 pacifiers for 7.50 (50% off) in the bulk section